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The signs are all around us, Pottawattamie camp ground, Indian Boundary Line and Wauponsie Glacial Trail. Those romantic Native American names are not just for show. Time was when white man did not live here, only tribes of warring Indians roamed the prairie.
Set the way-back machine to the late 17th century for a look around.
The very state we live in, Illinois, is named for a tribe of Indians. The Illinois Indians were made up of five distinct bands: Kaskaskias, Cahohias, Peorias, Tamaroas and Mickgamies.

Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan will be on the ballot in just one of Illinois’ 118 House districts this November, but his name and reputation will be featured in electoral battles throughout the state as Gov. Bruce Rauner and the Republican Party use Madigan against every Democrat from JB Pritzker on down to maybe even mosquito abatement district races. Can his lousy statewide image be used to defeat his fellow Democrats?

Margaritas taste great. Sure, a good tequila will go a long way toward making your giant restaurant Margarita delicious. Outside of the tequila, the other ingredients in your restaurant Margarita are likely loaded with sugar, high fructose corn syrup, and a host of other artificial flavoring.

Our story today concerns abolitionists, those people who helped slaves escape. Sometimes they helped people who had left slavery behind in the south and were desperately trying to get to Canada. But that was not the situation in today's story.

Those who know a bit about early Braidwood history know that saloons play a large role. But today we flip the coin over and look at the early temperance (no alcohol) societies that rarely get mentioned or notice.

According to a recent Capitol Fax/We Ask America poll, Democrat JB Pritzker leads Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner by nine points, 36-27, with 26 percent choosing an unnamed third-party candidate and 11 percent undecided. In other words, slightly more people said they preferred third party and/or were undecided than supported the frontrunner Pritzker.

Sometimes it's hard to picture something that you are not familiar with. I find that it is true when I talk about coal mining. The only experience I have with it directly is at the Science & Industry museum where long ago I remember going down to the coal mine. I remember feeling somewhat claustrophobic. Our subject today is the coal shafts themselves.